Nourish Your Skin - Intelligent Nutrients

Nourish Your Skin
The Best Natural Products, Herbs, and
At-Home Recipes for Radiant Glow
By Mary Bemis
v
W
e all know that our skin is our largest organ, and we also understand that nicotine
patches and the like feed drugs directly into our bodies and bloodstream — and yet we
still continue to pay little if any attention to what we rub onto our skin. We eat organically,
we drink organically, we clean our homes and feed our pets organically — and then we
carelessly coat ourselves with chemicals, as if they don’t seep in. They do!
I’ve tested thousands of products over the years and have judged numerous beauty
awards, and I cannot stress enough the importance of reading your labels. If you’re
curious and serious about learning what goes into your products, check out Skin Deep, a
comprehensive cosmetic database created by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and the
Environmental Working Group (safecosmetics.org). You’ll find nearly 70,000 products
that have been analyzed for safety. In the meantime, here are 21 natural product companies
that put botanicals to good use.
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Alba Botanica
Aromafloria
Although you’ll find everything from hair care to sun care at this natural
Founder Sharon Christie is an unusual blend of scientist, earth mother, and
products company, we like the Rainforest Collection (try the Foaming Cream
aromatherapist, launching the company in the mid-1980s. Today, all of the
Cleanser), with its exhilarating tropical ingredients like copaiba, derived from
products are created in a USDA Certified Organic manufacturing facility and
the ocotea tree. Bonus: the company donates a portion of each product sold
formulated with organic essential oils, medicinal herbs, exotic botanicals, and
from this collection to the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and
Fair Trade ingredients. This is an extensive brand with many lines. We’re fans
Research. (albabotanica.com)
of both the Sensory Fusion line and the Organics line (we recommend the
Amala
Lavender and Chamomile Mineral Bath Salts). (aromafloria.com)
We’re partial to the facial masks (Rejuvenating Collagen
Dr. Bronner’s
Mask, Purifying Clay Mask, and Hydrating Yogurt Mask) of
This family-run company has been making soap since 1858 (regularly giving
this NATRUE-certified line that formulates its products with
back to worthy causes and charities worldwide), and introduced Dr. Bronner’s
the highest possible concentration of certified organic and
Magic Soap to the United States in 1948. The all-in-one castile soap became
wild-crafted plant ingredients. Founder Ute Leube recently
a cult favorite in the 1960s, and today the brand is a leader in the organic and
was nominated for the 2012 Veuve Clicquot Business
Fair Trade worlds, having launched the Truth in Body Care campaign, among
Woman of the Year award. Nice touch: the company gives
other good works. Products are Fair Trade and USDA Certified Organic and
back 5 percent of its annual operating profits to the global
offer a variety of almond, eucalyptus, peppermint, and lavender-infused bath
Fair Trade farm network. (amalabeauty.com)
and body products. The Lavender Hand Sanitizing Spray comes in a handy
Angelina Organic Skincare
2-ounce bottle, perfect for travel. (drbronner.com)
Owner Angelina Swanson wild harvests herbs and makes her own infusions for
Dr. Hauschka
her nourishing products using local, organic, and Fair Trade ingredients. The top
Dr. Rudolph Hauschka,
seller is the Youth in Bloom Phyto-Active anti-aging facial line that includes a
whose mission was to “heal
Chinese mushroom extract and goji berries to help hydrate and firm naturally.
humanity and the earth,” founded this line in 1967. The brand has made a name
Try the Extra Firming Eye Gel, a customer favorite. (angelinaskincare.com)
for itself by using natural botanicals that come from the WALA biodynamic
gardens in Germany and that are obtained through a unique holistic concept.
The products are BDIH and NATRUE certified. Two best-sellers: Rose Day
Cream and Rosemary Bath. (drhauschka.com)
Eminence Organic Skin Care
“Our mission is to provide the most results-oriented skin care
using the finest ingredients Mother Nature has to offer,” attests
Boldijarre Koronczay, president and founder of Eminence. A
popular spa brand, the company has set itself apart from its
competition by working closely with Demeter, the only global
certifying body for biodynamic agriculture and products
(see sidebar). Of note is the Beyond Organic Collection of
biodynamic products, which includes two products — the Herbal
Recovery Gel and the Cornflower Recovery Serum — that bear
Violet Syrup
“This is a great syrup for spasmodic coughs or to lift the
spirits,” says its creator, Jane Hawley Stevens of Four Elements
Organic Herbals, who also warns, “Violets can cause apoplexy,
although some use the flower for this reason!”
In a small pan over medium heat, mix 1 cup sugar with
1 cup water. Simmer to dissolve, turn off heat, and
immediately add 1 cup fresh-picked violets; let sit
for 1 hour to overnight. Strain violets, then bottle, and
label and date.
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the Demeter-certified seal, making them the first and only Demeter-certified
biodynamic skin-care products in the United States. (eminenceorganics.com)
Essence of Vali
Launched in 1994, out of a charming townhouse in New York City’s West Village,
this line includes ten essential oil blends that address a variety of concerns,
including Balance, Fortify, and Passion. The first product, named “Sleep,”
created by founder Valerie Bennis, continues to be the most popular. It’s a
synergistic concentrate of essential oils of lavender, marjoram, cedarwood,
and ylang-ylang. “One drop on the pillowcase is all it takes to ease into a
peaceful sleep,” shares Bennis. Choose from mists, balms, and massage and
bath oils. (essenceofvali.com)
Farmhouse Fresh
This Texas-based company offers a number of
hand-assembled, natural skin-care products with
an emphasis on bath and body. We’re fans of the
One Fine Day Flawless Face Polish with good-for-you
ingredients that include sugar grains, shea butter,
sunflower seed oil, and grapefruit, lemon, lime, and
tangerine oils that contribute to its uplifting scent.
(farmhousefreshgoods.com)
wellness products is handmade by local women on a 130-acre certified
Herbs for At-Home
Beauty Treatments
organic farm. We met founder Jane Hawley Stevens at the Integrative Health
We asked Trisha Shirey, the director of Flora and Fauna at Lake Austin
Symposium in New York City four years ago and have been enamored of her
Spa Resort in Texas, to share a bouquet of her favorite herbs for
violet-based products ever since. She shares one of her recipes with us here.
homemade spa treatments. Here is her fragrant pick.
Four Elements Organic Herbals
Located in the pristine Baraboo Bluffs of central Wisconsin, this line of herbal
(fourelementsherbals.com) Violet Syrup recipe on opposite page.
HollyBeth’s Natural Luxury
This is a lovely line of USDA Certified Organic products that are made with
love and passion in HollyBeth Anderson’s studio in Atlanta, Georgia. Standout products include the Rose Geranium Face Moisturizer, Lavender Hand
Cream, one of the best eye creams we’ve tested, and a collection of lovely
aromatic candles. (hollybeth.net)
Intelligent Nutrients
We’ve had our eye on this brand since its founder, Horst Rechelbacher,
renowned environmentalist and founder of Aveda, first started playing around
with it, slowly introducing products in the 1990s. Now, it’s a full-blown USDA
Certified Organic health and beauty brand that’s making innovative leaps
in the organic beauty category. Many of the plants used as ingredients are
grown on Rechelbacher’s solar-, wind-, and geothermal-powered organic
farm in Wisconsin. A few of the results-oriented products we admire: Plant
Stem Cell Renewal Complex, featuring ingredients from a proprietary blend
of antioxidant-rich plant cells from edelweiss, coneflower, and pennywort, as
well as Lip Delivery Antioxidant Gloss. (intelligentnutrients.com)
Jurlique
This leading Australian skin-care company launched in 1985 and operates
a 153-acre farm that’s certified organic and biodynamic by the National
Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA). Its mission is to
produce the most effective natural skin care, using the most potent organic,
biodynamic, and natural ingredients available. Cult favorites include the
Rosewater Balancing Mist and the Calendula Cream. (jurlique.com)
Marie Veronique Organics
We fell in love with this small company after a facial we had at Solage Resort
and Spa in Calistoga, California. Developed by Marie Veronique Nadeau, a
former chemistry teacher, and her daughter, physicist Dr. Jay Nadeau, the
goal was to create a skin-care line that would allow women to age not only
gracefully but naturally. Ingredients are Fair Trade, organic, and locally grown,
Bay leaves are stimulating and soothing.
Calendula flowers are soothing for dry skin.
Chamomile flowers contain a natural anti-inflammatory
ingredient called azulene. It calms and soothes itchy, irritated
skin. A good addition for a child’s bath.
Ginger root may be grated using a Microplane grater and
added to baths to stimulate skin, increase blood flow, and
energize the body. It also can be added to coconut oil for a
stimulating and mildly exfoliating skin scrub. Ginger tones
and softens the skin.
Horsetail or Equisetum is a mineral-rich astringent. Good
for skin toning and improving hair and nails.
Lavender is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory and
healing for the skin. It relaxes you, calms nerves, and aids
in getting a good night’s sleep.
Lemon balm is cleansing and sedating.
Marjoram is a decongestant and is invigorating. It aids
with muscle pain and strains.
Rosemary is stimulating and refreshing to add to baths
and hair rinses. A good choice for baths for sore muscles.
Rose petals from your organically grown roses add a nice
fragrance to any bath or body treatment.
Sage is antiseptic and astringent and deeply cleansing for
the skin. It is especially good for oily skin.
Spearmint and peppermint are cooling, anti-inflammatory,
and very refreshing. They contain menthol, which stimulates
blood flow. Peppermint is stimulating and invigorating.
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Make-at-Home Recipes, Fresh from the Garden into your Bath
Pick your own herbs right out of your garden, or purchase them at your local co-op or grocery store and start experimenting! There are numerous ways to enjoy
the healing power of herbs in your everyday health and beauty rituals. We’ve gathered a handful of easy at-home recipes from the pros to inspire you, beginning
with these four wonderful bath recipes created by Trisha Shirey, director of Flora and Fauna at Lake Austin Spa.
Basic Bath Infusion
Skin Softening Bath Blend
4 cups fresh herbs, or
2 cups dried herbs of choice
1 quart boiling water
Add herbs to boiling water. Stir, cover,
and remove from heat. Allow to steep
for 10 minutes, strain, and add to bath.
Grind these ingredients in a food processor until coarsely
processed:
¼ cup oatmeal (rolled or minute type)
¼ cup milk powder
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup herbs of choice
Add:
10–15 drops essential oils of choice
2 TBL honey
2 tsp body oil of choice
Combine and add to a bath bag. Steep for a few minutes,
covered in hot water in the tub. Add remaining water
to bath and enjoy. Use cold tea bags (green tea or
chamomile) over your eyes as you enjoy your bath. (Do
not store bath bags if using oils or honey in them.)
Sore Muscle Bath Blend
2 cups fresh rosemary
½ cup fresh sage
½ cup fresh eucalyptus leaves
½ cup fresh bay leaves
2 TBL allspice berries
1 cup fresh peppermint
1 cup fresh comfrey, chopped
1 TBL whole cloves
One 4-inch piece of ginger root, cut to
¼-inch slices
Prepare according to Basic Bath Infusion directions. Add
2 cups of Epsom salt, 1 cup cider vinegar, and ½ cup of
bentonite clay to the bath water when adding the herb
tea. Stir well and soak for at least 20 minutes. Rinse skin
with clear water after the bath.
Sample Bath Bag Blend
¼ cup powdered milk
¼ cup Epsom salt
½ cup dried herbs of choice
¼ cup of sugar
10 drops of essential oils of choice
Stir together and place in a muslin bag
(four-by-six-inch muslin bath bags are
available from Elements Bath and
Body, elementsbathandbody.com),
or in several layers of cheesecloth
secured with a rubber band. Add to the
tub, and add hot water to steep the bath
tea bag for several minutes before enjoying
your bath. Use the softened herb bag to
gently exfoliate the body. The entire bag
may be added to your compost pile after use.
Seal unused bath bags in a glass jar for up to
several months, if desired.
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Strawberry Seed Body Scrub
This delicious natural scrub comes from Yael Alkalay,
creator of Red Flower.
Mix:
½ cup baking soda
¼ cup distilled water
Stir until blended. Add:
1 cup brown sugar 5 well-mashed strawberries
1/3 cup olive oil.
Stir until smooth. To thicken, add raw oatmeal
until texture is rich and firm.
whenever possible, and the company donates 10 percent of profits to organizations
Products are all natural and certified by EcoCert and NATRUE. Cult products
dedicated to helping women and children in Third World countries. Of the many
include the Intensive Seed Oil Capsules (we don’t board a plane without them!)
products, Every Day Sheer Coverage is favored by many for its anti-aging and sun
and the Moisturizing Lip Balm, rich in neroli cassis. (primaveralife.com)
protection qualities. (mvorganics.com)
Nature Girl
Red Flower Nature
You may recognize the name Red Flower, a company that launched in 1999,
A fun and quirky skin-care line
for its delicate signature petal-topped candles, but it’s come a long way since
founded by Nanette Pallrand,
then. Founder Yael Alkalay, who shares some recipes here, created the brand
who developed a special
to inspire a sense of living fully and celebrating life through the purity and
appreciation for nature
freshness of flowers. Nature is the name of the natural skin-care line made
during her extensive travels,
up of six products that are just as good for the face as they are for the body
spending several years in Brazil.
and are meant to consolidate skin-care regimens. Made with certified organic
The country, she says, “Truly gave me
ingredients sourced from Finland, they include waters that are pure flower
an appreciation for nature because of its sheer beauty and the overwhelming
distillations and whole essential oils that are cold-press extractions. We love the
diversity of plants and flowers.” Nature Girl uses natural, organic, and wild-
Organic Birch Mineral Hydrotherapy Soaking Plunge. (redflower.com)
crafted ingredients that are cultivated on small family-run organic farms. A few
See Strawberry Seed Body Scrub recipe left.
of our favorites: She Dreams in Green organic bath salts and I Am Plant oatmeal
exfoliating face mask. (nature-girl.com)
Naturopathica Holistic Health
Weleda
“Cultivators of beauty” is how this 91-yearold company refers to itself. With 135
Founder Barbara Close is a Renaissance woman — aromatherapist, herbalist,
acres of biodynamic gardens in Germany
esthetician, and product formulator, she founded a healing arts center 15 years
(and more spread from Switzerland to
ago. Her results-driven product line soon followed and is certified natural and
New Zealand), it collectively grows more
organic by EcoCert. Ingredients are carefully sourced from local farmers and
than 300 healing herbs and flowers.
herbalists, and best-selling products include the Aloe Cleansing Gel and the
Named after the Celtic goddess of
Carrot Seed Soothing Serum. (naturopathica.com)
wisdom and beauty, Weleda is NATRUE
Osea
This line is rich in essential oils and USDA Certified Organic algae and seaweed and
was lovingly created by Jenefer Palmer. A former massage therapist specializing
and BDIH certified. Bestsellers: Rosemary
Hair Oil and Weleda Lavender Relaxing
Body Oil. (usa.weleda.com)
in energy work such as polarity and cranial sacral, she also was a spa director.
Wild Beauty
During this time, she became disenchanted with the products she was putting
Felecia Scott, whose family is a blend of African American and Chickasaw Indian,
on guests’ bodies, learning that what you see in a bottle all too often is not what
founded this aromatherapy company using recipes passed down from her
you get! She took matters into her own hands, founding Osea after 11 years of
grandmother. Since childhood, Felecia has been making ointment, balms, and
development. Cult favorites include Salts of the Earth body scrub and Ocean
body oils with her grandmother, who taught her how to infuse flowers, roots,
Cleansing Mudd. (oseamalibu.com)
tea leaves, and herbs into nutrient-rich oils. There are a number of delicious
Pevonia Botanica
One of the first brands to cater to the spa market, Pevonia
handmade elixirs for the skin and hair from which to choose. The latest offering
is Oh My Aching and includes eucalyptus and rosemary to help ease minor aches
and pains. (wildbeautycreations.com)
was founded in 1991 by Sylvie Hennessy, a serious skin-care
educator who also established the Academy of Esthetics
and Spa Therapy. This is a huge brand that includes a
number of lines for all ages and skin types and prides
itself on its focus on science and nature. Product to try:
the Aromatherapy Face Oils. (pevonia.com)
Primavera
Although this German-based company (headquartered out of a carbon-neutral
Mary Bemis is the lifestyle editor of Spirituality & Health. She is passionate
about healing spas and is a major voice for natural products and
sustainability. She was founder and editor-in-chief of both American
Spa and Organic Spa magazines and has tested thousands of personalcare products over the years.
See our website www.spiritualityhealth.com for a listing of 50 more
botanically based companies.
facility) turns 25 this year, it was introduced to the United States only in 2011.
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